Aotsuki
by Crisis
Summary: The destiny of the world is changed by a few words and a blue ring. "Koumyou Yahiko of Amegakure, you have the ability to inspire great Hope." Chapter 3 - Despair is the shattered remains of Hope.
1. Genesis of the Blue Dawn

AN: This is going to be less a multi-chapter story than a series of disjointed one shots that happen to take place in the same continuum. Now that that's out of the way, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto or Green Lantern.

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><p>Aotsuki - Genesis of the Blue Dawn<p>

Yahiko was rather wondering why he hadn't seen this coming. He supposed that it was because he had so wanted to believe that the leader of Amegakure was just as fed up with the constant wars that plagued this country as they were and truly wanted to work together with their group.

The other day, Hanzo had approached them with the offer to broker a peace between the three great warring nations that surrounded the Land of Rain. Apparently, it had all been a lie. A ruse to capture one of their founding members and gather the fledgling Akatsuki into a place to be slaughtered.

"Your gang is a hindrance to my plans. Yahiko... as the leader, you will die here today. If you don't, this girl will get it."

Hanzo threw a kunai down between them.

"You with the red hair, use this to kill him. If you do, I'll let this girl free."

Yahiko stared up at where Hanzo held Konan hostage with the aid of Konoha's black ops leader Danzo. The situation seemed untenable with their demand his friend and comrade Nagato to kill him in order to spare Konan's life. He could see Nagato freeze with indecision, torn by being told to choose between the lives of his two closest friends.

"Don't Nagato! Don't worry about me. You two get out of here!" Konan shouted from where she was being held prisoner above them.

"Nagato..." he said, snapping his friend out of his trance, "kill me."

It was the best decision. He had once said that his dream was to rule the entire world, but then it had been a dream to overcome his own pain and struggles. It was Nagato that had presented the idea that he could use that power to aid others. One who could rule the world could also end war. He might have been the leader, but Nagato was the one who knew the destination of peace better than anyone despite the hate and pain he carried. Nagato was the one who was necessary for the group's success, more so than Yahiko himself had ever been. Yahiko led in order to fulfill Nagato's dream. He would gladly die to see that it continued.

'Nagato. You will be the bridge of hope that these people need,' he thought to himself as he prepared to grab Hanzo's kunai, place it in Nagato's hand, and take his own life, thus making it look like Nagato had slain him as demanded.

"Koumyou Yahiko of Amegakure," came a sudden voice that effectively silenced the entire battlefield. All eyes were suddenly on a spot of floating blue light that had apparently addressed the young man. Even the words it spoke sounded blue, if sound could have color. Both Yahiko and Nagato were close enough to see that the light was emanating from, of all things, a ring floating in midair.

"You have the ability to inspire great Hope. You have been chosen as the wielder of the Blue Light," the ring continued before promptly maneuvering itself onto Yahiko's finger.

Yahiko felt himself encompassed by a warmth that felt like the emotion he felt when the three of them discussed how they would bring peace to the world. Only this sensation was so much more potent that comparing it to that old emotion was like comparing the sun to a campfire. And yet, it didn't seem to eclipse his old emotions at all. If anything, it validated them. And when it died down, he could see that all the colors of his uniform aside from black now had a blue color that matched the ring. He would later learn that the strange symbol upon the ring had also inscribed itself on the back of his cloak.

'It seems there is little time, Koumyou Yahiko of Amegakure,' came the strange blue voice directly into his mind. 'The power of the Blue Light is limited in its applications by itself, but if you can meld it with your 'chakra',' the ring conveyed the term as if it was not a familiar concept to it, 'you may be able to boost your existing abilities enough to rescue your comrade.'

'It's worth a try,' Yahiko thought back to the ring, agreeing that there wasn't enough time to try anything. This strange force had chosen him at a moment when he'd been about to take his own life, even if for all the right reasons, and to continue on that path would be disrespectful. Yet, even now, Hanzo was overcoming his surprise and he had to act before Konan died. He focused his chakra and combined it with the ring's own unfamiliar power source for a shunshin to Konan, and promptly appeared next to her in a flash of blue light.

Every shinobi, including Hanzo and Danzo, could only stare in shock at what seemed to be a perfect replication of the famous, or infamous depending on who you asked, Hiraishin no Jutsu by their opponent. So great was their shock that none of them moved to stop him from grabbing Konan from Hanzo's clutches.

"Power levels 50%," the ring stated to him helpfully. Yahiko blinked, not having thought about the ring's power being so finite. "52%"

The ring's voice seemed to snap the Hanzo out of his stupor and he activated a trap that caused a large number of disguised exploding tags to rise up from under Yahiko and Konan and try to engulf them. 'A trap, of course,' Yahiko thought as he quickly repeated the technique to return himself and Konan to Nagato a the exploding tags went off. Nagato was looking at him with awe, along with the rest of their comrades. Perfectly understandable as that enhanced blue-flash shunshin had gotten both him and Konan out of the exploding trap without a scratch.

"Power levels 4%, 10%," the ring continued its report.

"Glad to know you can recharge yourself," Yahiko said absentmindedly. Using the ring's power to supercharge his shunshin had been a trip to say the least. The sheer speed it had resulted in was almost instantaneous, though he had a feeling that he'd used far more of the ring's power than he needed to. Clearly he'd have to practice and get better control.

"Negative," the ring corrected him, "this ring is not capable of self-charging."

"Then, how are your power levels increasing?" he asked in spite of himself. Their enemy was preparing to launch a counter attack after all, and distractions like that could prove fatal.

"This ring is powered by the concentrated Hope of sentient beings. By inspiring Hope in your comrades, the ring's power is being restored. Power levels 35%."

That was handy, and something he'd definitely have to discuss the mechanics of later with the ring.

"Kill them!" came the yell from Hanzo. Apparently pondering the mechanics of this strange ring would have to wait as all of Hanzo's shinobi launched a rain of kunai at them.

Fortunately, the new threat to the friends he'd almost lost to death spurred Nagato to action. Using the powers granted to him by the fabled Rinnegan, he easily repelled the entire barrage.

"You're no ordinary kids," Hanzo said, almost thoughtfully even though his voice was heard clearly in the gorge below. "Those eyes, that ring," and he had clearly guessed the source of Yahiko's new strength. Not that the ring had exactly been subtle though. Though the strongest reaction Yahiko had right then was annoyance that Hanzo was dismissing Konan.

"Power levels 65%."

"Kill them all!" came the cry from one of the Konoha black ops and the entirety of both Hanzo's and Danzo's forces, save the two leaders themselves, jumped down to attack.

In another reality, a wounded Nagato consumed by grief over his best friend overtaxed himself using a summon known as Gedo Mezo to suck out the souls of all combatants, decimating the assault alone and became a powerful cripple relegated to manipulating puppet corpses from the shadows. In this reality, the three Ame Orphans led a counter assault that was no less effective. Nagato used the powers of his Rinnegan judiciously instead of recklessly, Konan demonstrated that her self-developed paper techniques were no less fearsome than the powers of her comrades, and Yahiko threw ninjutsu that glowed with a blue light brighter and purer than raw chakra at his foes.

Galvanized by the actions of their leaders, the rest of the Akatsuki charged into a battle that quickly turned the former death trap into a rout against the ambushers.

* * *

><p>- Later -<p>

'I have to ask,' Yahiko thought silently to the ring, 'why did you choose me? Nagato is the most key member of our organization. He's the one destined to spread hope and peace to the world, not me.'

'This ring is not capable of divining an amorphous concept such as destiny,' the ring's blue voice replied directly to his mind. 'It can only sense the influence of emotions inside sentient beings and make rudimentary judgments based upon this data. Your friend Nagato is too close to the influence of Rage to properly wield the Blue Light. This ring determined that the Hope he possesses, while great, was inspired by yourself. As he is now, were he to lose your presence, he would lose his Hope, therefore your continued existence is necessary for your friend to continue on the path of Hope.'

'What? But, he was the one who showed me the path of hope and peace in the first place!'

'That may be, but currently you are the one who most embodies the virtues of Hope. Even if your Hope is drawn from your comrades, the Hope you give back to them is greater still.'

Yahiko was a bit dubious that the ring's claim was true. But, if he meant even half as much to his friends as the ring claimed... then he was humbled by the revelation.

'And that is yet another reason why you were chosen. A wielder of the Blue Light needs to be selfless and humble, or the effectiveness they can produce will be greatly lessened, if not outright negated.'

'I am still not worthy of this honor,' he thought back.

'To wield the Blue Light is not an honor to be worthy of, but a burden to carry. Your willingness to carry such a burden is far more important than any honor it would bring you.'

'Well, I suppose I need to find out what you can do.'

'The Blue Light is immensely powerful, but working alone it is limited in its applications. By itself, the power of the ring can grant you levitation, flight, and protection from harsh environments.'

'How harsh?'

'The void of space would be no hindrance to you. Nor would the heat of the most violent volcano. The ring can provide breathable air in the most poisonous of atmospheres and protect you from the pressures of the deepest oceans. However, the protection against physical dangers is much more limited. For example, the ring's protective aura could stop molten magma or naked flame from killing you, for a short time, but could not completely halt it from harming you. Any assaults powered by 'chakra' energy would be more effective in breaching this protection as well.'

Yahiko couldn't stop himself from whistling in appreciation, which got him a couple of odd looks from his comrades in the room. While it sounded like the passive protections the ring gave him might not reliably stop even a thrown kunai, especially if the thrower imbued it with chakra, the environmental protections it gave were something many ninja would happily kill to possess. And the ability to fly? That alone would have been more than enough to have nations fighting over this tiny unassuming piece of jewelry.

'The Blue Ring also possesses the ability to grant a vision to an individual consisting of what they most hope for. While this is meant primarily as a defense against covetous individuals, it would be possible to link the Blue Light to one of your 'genjutsu' to deliberately target an individual for this. By focusing the vision ability with your 'chakra', you would also be able to control how long it lasted if you wished. By itself, the ring's visions will terminate automatically when they run their course.'

That sounded really handy. Though... 'I take it that you can only create visions related to Hope?'

'Correct. The Blue Light is not capable of linking such a vision to any other emotion. In fact, you will likely find it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to create 'genjutsu' on your own that are linked to any primary emotion other than Hope as long as you bear the ring.'

Okay, he could work around such a limitation. He didn't particularly like many of the usual genjutsu anyway. But, it made him wonder. What other limitations did the ring place on him?

Almost as if it heard that question, the ring responded. 'The Blue Light influences others with Hope. As the wielder, you will find it easier to feel Hope than any emotions relating to another part of the emotion spectrum. Because of this, most of your decisions will likely be based on the emotion of Hope, but as long as you remain conscious of this your Will shall remain completely your own.'

Well, at least the ring was being up front with him. Though, the way it said some of these things made him wonder 'are there any other rings like you?'

'Affirmative. There are exactly seven such rings currently in active status including this one. One ring for each part of the emotional spectrum. Each ring is capable of concentrating its related core emotion into a tangible energy which can be shaped into almost any effect, limited only by the wielder's imagination and the force of the ring's related emotional color that they possess.'

'Funny, you didn't mention that earlier.'

'Apologies. While the Blue Light is arguably the mightiest of the seven, it is greatly limited in its ability when acting alone. The capacity to create hard energy constructs and other effects can only be achieved under the influence of a specific portion of the emotional spectrum. The seven portions of the emotional spectrum are Red Rage, Orange Avarice, Yellow Fear, Green Will, Blue Hope, Indigo Compassion, and Violet Love. Only the presence of the Green Light of Will can unlock the Blue Ring's full abilities.'

'Hope requires Will. How... appropriate.'

'And in turn Hope bolsters Will. Empowering the wielder of the Green Ring is one of the core functions inherent in the Blue Ring. The other is cleansing an individual of excessive influence by the other portions of the emotional spectrum.'

'And how does that work? You said you are influencing me. Does that mean that this 'cleansing' takes place by replacing the other influence with your own?'

'Essentially correct. All parts of the emotional spectrum save the Green Light are capable of influencing another in this fashion. Unless the influenced individual is actually wearing the ring though, it is largely temporary. The difference of the Blue Light is that, while it influences, it does not inherently move the influenced individual to action. Essentially, the same property that requires that the Blue Light must have the presence of the Green Light to operate at full capacity means that it's influence calms the influence of the other five parts of the emotional spectrum rather than replacing their drive with its own. The Yellow Light is particularly susceptible to the cleansing powers of the Blue Light.'

'Hope dispels Fear,' Yahiko thought absently, ignoring the rings affirmation of the statement. This object seemed tailor made for the cause of Peace. However, while it claimed to be mightier than the others, its abilities by itself were woefully sub-par in comparison. The rather unique application of its influence probably meant that a wielder of the other Lights didn't use the ability as often. After all, if the influence spurred the target to actions based on that influence rather than calming them, who could tell what the target would do? A person influence by Rage would be driven to attack, but it would likely be difficult to predict _who_ they would attack.

'So, where are these other rings? Especially the green one?'

'Unknown. The ability to accurately track another ring's location requires either willing permission of the wielder, an inherent link between the two rings, or close proximity while the other ring is actively channeling its abilities. Additionally, while this ring can detect activity from five of the other rings, the powers of the Green Ring appear to be dormant at this time.'

'And there goes the easy answer,' Yahiko thought. Oh well, he was used to doing things the hard way by now. 'What else can you tell me?'

'Much. However, the entirety of the knowledge database accessible by this ring would take several times your natural lifespan to impart. As such, this ring requires a more specified request before it can impart data.'

Okay, so he had more knowledge on his finger than the most expansive library known to exist, but it was so expansive that he had to actually request something specific before the ring would tell him. 'What can you tell me of the Green Light?'

'As the middle part of the emotional spectrum, the Green Light exerts no influence over the wielder. It is possible that the nature of the Green Light can even allow the wielder to overcome influence from the other six parts of the emotional spectrum. However, this is speculation. Only the Green Ring itself would have detailed data on the Green Light.'

'So, the information you can give me on the other rings is limited, but they don't have much more than basic information on you either, right?'

'Correct. This ring can draw logical speculation from existing data, but does not possess full knowledge of the other parts of the emotional spectrum.'

'I guess we'll come back to that if we encounter any of them. Is there any way to make more Blue Rings?'

'Not at this time. Information about the process of manufacturing a Ring is currently under a seven-point security restriction.'

'Seven point security restriction?' he wondered. Apparently someone had gone to great lengths to ensure that there wouldn't be more than one copy of the ring he now wore.

'To access restricted data, authorization is required from seven ring bearers.'

'And there's only seven rings, which command emotional forces that tend to openly conflict with each other.' If he didn't miss his guess, that meant that the other six rings had a similar security restriction. That suggested that it guarded information that was too dangerous to leave the possibility of someone stumbling over it, yet too valuable to outright destroy.

'Correct.'

'Someone really wanted to keep your numbers under control.'

'Unknown. Such information would likely be in restricted files.'

'Of course,' Yahiko thought as he rolled his eyes. This was clearly a mystery for another time. 'So, since there's not much the Blue Light can do on its own, what other options do I have for making use of it?'

'A significant number. This ring, once determining that the Green Ring was dormant for unknown reasons and an indeterminate period, began to collect data on the human life energy known as 'chakra' in an effort to determine what, if anything, could be done in conjunction with this force. Upon collection of data on a rare form of 'chakra' known as 'sage chakra' made by fusing human life energy with ambient natural life energy, this ring formulated a process to meld the Blue Light with 'chakra' to produce similar results. While you may not have access to the full capacity of the Blue Light, you can use it to greatly empower any method of 'chakra' usage you are capable of.'

'And you guided me through this process in the battle earlier,' Yahiko thought to himself. Obviously this 'sage' chakra was either heavily secret, highly dangerous to use, or incredibly difficult to achieve, possibly all three, or more ninja would use it. Maybe he couldn't make solid light energy constructs, but the ability to readily and safely use a force similar to this 'sage' chakra was a pretty nice bonus. That piece of information had also driven home that whoever was responsible for the rings either didn't understand chakra, or was completely unaware of it.

'Correct. However the process was previously untested and the efficiency produced was woefully below optimal effectiveness.'

'I thought as much. I'm going to have to practice to master this.' Especially that supercharged shunshin he did. The blue flash of light his friends told him of and the shock on all of the enemy ninja's faces meant that he'd apparently replicated the capacity of the Hiraishin jutsu he'd heard rumors of. He wondered if he could do the same thing with a kawamiri and switch places with a hostage next time.

'That would be advisable. It is also advisable to keep a close monitor on this ring's power levels. Records indicate that in the past a ring bearer would have had a power battery from which they could recharge, but current data does not indicate where such a device would be located if indeed it still exists. As of now, only the ambient Hope of sentient beings can recharge the power levels of this ring. The greater the Hope felt, the more quickly the ring's power levels can replenish themselves.'

And it seemed that he would need to manage the ring's abilities judiciously lest it run dry on him at a bad moment. And since it ran on Hope, being able to recharge _during_ a bad moment would be highly unlikely. 'That reminds me, how much power do the flight and protections take up?'

'Such basic functions of the ring provide a negligible drain on power levels. It would take several days without access to Hope energy before such functions would place a significant drain on this ring's power levels.'

Wow, his use of the ring's energy with his chakra really was horrible if he sucked away half its reserves with just one super-charged shunshin. Granted, the result seemed to be the most draining of any of the jutsu he'd used in the following fight, but the knowledge of how poorly he'd made use of it made him feel like a fresh student again. Almost as if he was just starting to learn how to mold chakra from Jiraiya all over again. 'Oh, and what was with my cloak?'

'Another core function of the ring is garbing the ring bearer in an appropriate uniform. Your cloak was deemed highly functional and appropriate for the engagement you found yourself in, so this ring made only cosmetic changes. If you desire another outfit or design, merely imagine the appearance and the ring will alter your garb to match.'

That... was pretty cool actually. Considering that his armor hadn't changed except in color, he assumed that producing armor wasn't something this attire altering ability was meant to do. However... 'Can you do this for anyone else, or just me?'

'Processing...' the ring said, taking a few moments before answering his question. Considering the ready responses it had provided up to now, this pause made him wonder if anyone had asked, or even considered, such a thing before. 'Such a task would be possible. However, this ring is only capable of producing the colors black, white, and blue when making such changes. Though the ring can store civilian garb for the wielder and restore it at any time when discretion is necessary, it cannot do this for anyone else.'

Well, there went any possibility of a mass disguise infiltration. An instant civilian disguise could be handy, but right now he was thinking about re-designing the organization's uniforms. He needed to talk with his friends.

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><p>- Several minutes later -<p>

"I think it's time we had a new name for our group," Yahiko said to his friends. His cloak had changed again. He'd played with the ring's uniform making ability for a bit and settled on a cloak with blue clouds decorating it with the ring's symbol over the left side of his chest. The skin-tight uniform that the ring informed him was the default looked pretty good on him, but it just wasn't something he thought would work in the ninja world.

"Oh?" Konan asked curiously.

"Yes," Yahiko replied, gazing pointedly at the blue ring he wore. "We have dedicated ourselves to the hope and realization of peace. This ring claims to be powered by pure Hope in the form of blue light. As warriors of Hope, we should bear its colors."

"So," Nagato said knowingly, "instead of Akatsuki, the Red Dawn..."

"We shall be known as Aotsuki, the Blue Dawn, spreading our promise of Hope and Peace to the entire world."

Konan and Nagato looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Yahiko.

"I'm in," Konan said.

"Me too," Nagato added. "Red's too angry. It'll feel good to wear something more peaceful."

'I have a good feeling about this,' Yahiko thought to himself. 'Almost as if we escaped the same dark fate we've dedicated our lives to fighting against.'

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><p>- Elsewhere -<p>

The man known as Uchiha Madara, or Tobi when he wanted to keep a low profile, scowled to himself. The group of Ame rebels known as Akatsuki had veered from the course he had intended for them. Yahiko was supposed to have died in that battle, leaving Nagato and the Rinnegan ripe for manipulation. Instead a mysterious object had bestowed itself upon Yahiko and turned the tide.

Due to the mysterious and potent nature of this strange force, the likelyhood of being able to salvage his existing plans for the group was close to nonexistent. He would have to start a new organization from scratch, and take a more active role in its running as it would take too much time to set up a new figurehead to draw attention away from himself.

Perhaps not all was lost though. The name of Akatsuki had become established enough to be recognizable. Divisions of ideals created splinter groups all the time too, and copycat organizations were hardly unheard of either. So relatively few questions would be posed if a second such group appeared.

Yes. He would reform the Akatsuki under his control as they were meant to be and continue the plan through them. The Red Dawn would break, with him as Lord of the entire world.

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><p>AN: Yahiko's family name Koumyou is something I made up. It can mean 'glory', 'hope', or 'right future'. I figured it was very appropriate for him.<p>

I can't recall if the canon recruit message for the blue rings is 'instill Hope' or 'inspire Hope'. Personally, I prefer the word 'inspire' to 'instill', so that's what I used.

So, please review! And for hope's sake, if any of you decide to write a story yourselves based on this, include a link! I'd love to read it!


	2. Love, Hate, and the thin line in between

**Afalstein** - Glad to know you liked it! As for the info dump, be glad. That was the pared down version. Honestly, I needed to establish that certain staples of the Green Lantern comics, such as the corps, weren't present in this reality.

**airnaruto45** - Probably Naruto since the Green Ring isn't even going to make an _appearance_ until I get to the fourth shinobi world war. Really, right now you should be worrying about who I'm going to be giving the orange ring to as they will be the first of the other ring-bearers that I unveil. A cookie to anyone who guesses. The only hint I'll give is that it's a canon Naruto character.

Diclaimer. I don't own Naruto or Green Lantern. I do, however, own a nice collection of toy Power Rings and Akatsuki rings.

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><p>Chapter 2 - Love, Hate, and the thin line in between.<p>

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><p>Part 1 - The Choice<p>

Konan was not a particularly happy kunoichi at the moment.

The reason for this was because she was stuck out in the middle of the scorching desert of Wind Country on a mission and was thus hot, dry, and miserable. While this contrasted greatly with the perpetual rain of Amegakure, which tended to leave everyone in the village cold, wet, and miserable, Konan found that the former was just as unpleasant as the latter.

She'd been sent out here to chase down a rumor. Granted, at the time it had sounded like an _important_ rumor to not only Yahiko and Nagato, but to her as well. Unfortunately, after more than two weeks of trying to chase down leads, it seemed like the rumor was just that. A rumor. Konan didn't even care about it anymore. Right now, all she wanted to do was find a nice cold body of water and dunk herself in it, clothes and all.

One more day. If nothing turned up, then she was going to head back and tell her friends that the mission was a wash. After that, maybe she could talk Yahiko into taking her to that fish grill she spotted in that town near the border. She giggled to herself at the thought.

'I really hope that wasn't due to the heat affecting my brain,' the rational portion of her mind that hadn't yet baked in the sun mused.

"Ridoman Konan of Amegakure," came a sudden voice that sounded violet. Her eyes flew open in shock at the similarities between the voice and the blue ring Yahiko had gotten a while back.

Right there in front of her, floating in mid-air, was a ring similar to Yahiko's. Only this one was violet in color and glowed with a light of the same hue.

"You hold great Love in your heart. You are trapped in the darkness of an uncertain and violent world. A choice now presents itself: You can remain as you are and brave the darkness on your own or you can accept the mantle as emissary of the Violet Light and fill that darkness with Love so that you may spread this light to others."

Konan's mind raced. From what Yahiko had said, his blue ring hadn't offered him a chance to accept or refuse when it came to him. It simply told Yahiko that he'd been chosen and made itself at home. Both she and Nagato had been given a basic rundown on the other six rings that Yahiko's blue ring claimed existed out there in case they happened to run into another ring-bearer. And here was one coming to her. The light of Love if she didn't miss her guess, though the ring's introduction wasn't really leaving that conclusion in doubt. "Why am I being offered this choice?" she asked guardedly.

"Because the Violet Light of Love is potent and volatile," the ring responded, causing Konan to blink as she then remembered what had been said about each ring's influence. The farther it was from the center of this 'emotional spectrum', the greater the influence the ring's power had over the wielder. The violet ring was one of the two at the farthest ends of that spectrum. Thinking on that, it was even more surprising that the ring before her would admit to it. Although, admittedly, it _was_ spinning the offer in its own favor.

"As such," the ring continued, "it is necessary for the ring bearer to accept the position of their own free will."

Konan pondered the offer for a moment. She wasn't going to dispute the ring's selection. She knew herself well enough to realize that love was her primary driving force in life. Even as an orphaned child, she was driven by love. First for Yahiko, then Nagato, then their crazy sensei Jiraiya, the country they lived in, and all of her comrades in the Aotsuki. The love she felt for Yahiko burned the brightest, but her love for the rest, while different, was no dim flame either. She would do anything for her precious people.

The addition of another ring like Yahiko's would be a boon to their group. However, there was the issue of the forces the rings commanded being something that could inherently conflict. Even though Yahiko's ring and the one before her were both on the 'positive' end of this 'emotional spectrum', that didn't mean they were inherently allied.

"I am sorry. The darkness I travel in is already being lit up by the light of another. While my heart is full of love, the path it follows is lit by hope."

"...Understood," the ring said simply. "Re-commencing scan for worthy sentient."

And with that, the ring sped off in a trail of violet light.

* * *

><p>Part 2 - The Conscription<p>

Nagato was also out chasing down rumors. Word had reached them of a copycat group working under their gang's original name of 'Akatsuki'. Understandably troubled by this, Yahiko had asked Nagato to see if he could find anything on this other group.

Sadly, so far he had a whole lot of nothing beyond confirming that such a group did, in fact, exist. Whoever these people were, they knew how to disappear at least as well as the Aotsuki did.

'The biggest mystery right now is why someone would want to copy _us_,' he thought to himself. 'Especially using our _old_ name.'

He was about to cut his search and return to Ame when a voice much like Yahiko's ring, except red, cut into his thoughts.

"Uzumaki Nagato of Amegakure, you have great Rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Light."

Not even waiting for a response, the ring quickly maneuvered itself onto Nagato's finger and he suddenly felt like he was being burned from the inside out.

"Do not fight it. Let the power of the ring flow into your body and replace the tainted blood you bear."

He could feel something trying to force his blood out of him as images of the worst parts of his life flashed across his mind.

His parents killed by Konoha shinobi when they were mistaken for enemy combatants.

Starving as people continually turned him away from their doors.

His first friend, a dog he named Chibi, dying from a stray attack from a nearby battlefield.

Betrayal from Hanzo after he had sworn to help them.

"Allow your useless heart to cease beating and let the Red Light of Rage become your center."

An image of his friends Yahiko and Konan smiling flashed into his mind, interrupting the montage of pain. He couldn't let this ring take that from him!

"SHINRA TENSEI!" he cried out as loud as he could, blasting the ring from his finger with the strongest repulsive force he could manage.

The red ring hovered before him as Nagato tried to get his breathing under control. That had been the most excruciating thing he'd _ever_ experienced.

"This ring stands corrected," came the red voice again, sounding almost as if it had been insulted. "You do _not_ possess great Rage in your heart and are _not_ acceptable to the Red Light. Resuming scan for a more worthy sentient."

As the ring sped off in a trail of red light, Nagato found himself laughing at the thought of an inanimate object storming off in indignation.

* * *

><p>Part 3 - The Blue and The Yellow<p>

Yahiko had been on a simple recon mission when he'd run into the man in front of him. Adult, male, blond hair, about Yahiko's age, perhaps a bit younger, standard jonin flak vest, Konoha headband. Yahiko's anger spiked a bit when he noted that last part as it had since Hanzo had cut a deal with Konoha's Danzo to betray and exterminate their group. He still had a bit of resentment towards the village for that action. He hadn't quite realized that his hand had strayed to the hilt of his sword until he felt himself drawing it from its sheathe, the man before him drawing an oddly shaped kunai in response.

Yahiko made the first move, attempting a simple horizontal slice that was easily blocked. The two dueled in silence for a few seconds, blade to blade before Yahiko's opponent jumped back and threw the odd kunai at him.

Yahiko easily sidestepped the kunai, and only a flash of yellow light alerted him to danger. Since the incident with Hanzo, Yahiko had refined his use of the Blue Light/chakra mixture to the point that he could do it instinctively and in the single instant of warning that he got, he had molded that mix for the supercharged shunshin that was already becoming his trademark. In his own flash of blue light, he had removed himself from the danger zone, avoiding a blow meant to incapacitate him.

The two men stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"So," Yahiko said as he channeled some of his ring's Blue Light mixed with his chakra into his sword, making it nigh-indestructible, "you are the famous 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha."

The other man smiled calmly back and began to gather chakra into his palm where it swirled like a maelstrom and formed a perfect orb. "I am. It would seem that I have the pleasure of facing the equally famous 'Blue Flash' of Ame. Though I can tell that while our jutsu are very similar in the results they produce, the manner in which they are executed is vastly different."

The two men stared at each other for a long moment before they both dashed forward at the same time and their respective jutsu met in the middle, both struggling to overpower the other's technique and both unable to do so.

The blond haired man grinned slightly as the two dueled, sword wreathed in blue light clashing against swirling orb of raw chakra. As they did so, he took an interest in the way Yahiko's ring was glowing to match the aura around his sword. "That's an interesting ring you have there. Jiraiya-sensei would probably love to have a look at it."

Yahiko checked his sword swing so hard that he nearly fell over before jumping back in surprise. His opponent blinked at the sudden change in the flow of battle, but didn't pursue.

The man before him had also been a student of Jiraiya? The headband of Konoha marked him as being from the same village as Danzo, the man who had helped Hanzo betray and almost murder his friends a while back. However, Jiraiya was also from that village. Perhaps...

"You... are a student of Jiraiya?" he posed to the blond-haired man before him.

"Yes, he was my jonin sensei when I was made genin." the man said, a bit guarded. "Why?"

Yahiko had to stop himself from laughing. To think that he'd meet another student of Jiraiya like this. Though, that meant...

"I just thought it would be nice if my kohai would introduce himself," Yahiko said with a broad grin, letting the aura around his sword dissipate.

The man blinked in confusion, dispelling his jutsu as well. "Um..."

"What, are you telling me Jiraiya-sensei never told you about his first students?"

The man blinked some more and seemed to study Yahiko for a few moments before his eyes widened in recognition. "Then... you must be Yahiko-san?"

"Yep! Koumyou Yahiko, future leader of Amegakure at your service!"

"Nice to meat you Yahiko-sempai," the man said pleasantly. "I am Namikaze Minato, aspirant to the title of Hokage."

"Well, here's hoping you can beat out that slimeball Danzo for the job," Yahiko offered with a grin, to which Minato chuckled.

"That old war-hawk?" he asked with humorous dismissal. "Not a chance. If I don't get the job, it'll be because my girlfriend got it instead."

And just like that, the two men who had moments before clashed as if they were mortal enemies conversed the day away like old friends.

* * *

><p>Part 4 - Changing dynamics<p>

The discussions with Minato-kohai had been very entertaining and more than a bit enlightening. For one Minato had been _very_ interested in Danzo's former deal with Hanzo. Yahiko himself had suspected that what Danzo had done was not entirely sanctioned, but for a jonin under consideration for the position of Hokage to _not_ know about the event this long after the fact just supported the idea that Danzo's actions had perhaps crossed the line into traitorous territory against his own village. Perhaps positive relations with Konoha _would_ be possible in the near future.

"Forgive the intrusion," the ring cut into Yahiko's thoughts about the things he'd discussed with Minato, "but this ring observed an emotional anomaly during your dealings with the individual Namikaze Minato."

"What anomaly was that?" Yahiko asked. The ring wasn't something that would actually inquire about anything unless it was deemed important. So, while this might sound like casual conversation, Yahiko knew he would be in error if he treated it as such.

"When the encounter between the two of you began, you showed signs of the influence of Rage. However, once you learned that you had both shared a mentor, that same influence was converted into Love. This does not match existing knowledge about the emotional spectrum concerning those two bands."

Yahiko raised an eyebrow. Had that come from anything other than the ring, he might think he was being accused of homosexuality. However, discussions with the ring on the natures of the various bands of this 'emotional spectrum' had quickly disabused him of the notion that the Love portion of it was limited to only the romantic variety.

Yahiko chuckled a bit. "Ha! I finally know something about this 'emotional spectrum' that you don't!"

The ring's next statement almost sounded confused. "This ring does not comprehend. To what do you refer?"

Yahiko grinned. "You're used to interpreting the 'emotional spectrum' as a line with two clear terminations at either end, like in a rainbow, thus placing the emotions of 'Rage' and 'Love' as the two farthest removed from each other. However the same colors that can be shown as a line in this phenomenon can also be shown as a circle when used in art forms such as painting. The circle formation thus places the bands of 'Rage' and 'Love' right next to each other. We even have a saying relating to this: 'There is a thin line between Love and Hate'. It means that, given the right circumstances, one can readily become the other."

"Intriguing," the ring said and was silent for a minute. "This ring can find no entry that would inherently contradict such a phenomenon. Adding 'circle configuration' and the relations suggested therein to the data regarding the emotional spectrum."

Yahiko was really interested in that. An individual or group who could harness emotional forces into a coherent energy and then, if he didn't miss his guess, compress that same energy into a solid form that could channel that energy into almost any application imaginable, access knowledge greater than any person could accumulate in a few dozen lifetimes, and still sit on a person's finger; and yet could not grasp an emotional concept as simple as Love and Hate being connected despite opposing each other? The more he learned about this ring, the more interested he became in the particulars surrounding its very existence.

His musings were interrupted by Konan and Nagato entering the room at the same time in a rush, almost tripping over each other.

"Whoa! Where's the fire?" he asked them.

"Yahiko, we need to talk! I was approached by one of the other rings!"

"Wow, in stereo even," Yahiko said, blinking at the rather comical occurrence of his two best friends having almost tripped over themselves in order to simultaneously issue urgent reports that apparently were about identical phenomena. and considering the way they were now staring at each other, each of them had been unaware that their experience was not unique.

It took a few minutes, but starting with Konan and then Nagato, he heard about their respective encounters with, and subsequent rejections of, the two most volatile of the seven rings.

"This is troubling," he said. Conversations with the ring had disavowed him of the assumption that any of them needed a human bearer. The only thing a ring-bearer _required_ was sentience, the capacity to feel emotion. However, since there was only one of each, the rings needed to be more choosy regarding the other primary mental aspects of a living being, such as creativity, the ability to conceive new thoughts; sapience, the ability to utilize judgment; intelligence, or raw mental capacity; intentionality, having thoughts that possess meaning or are about something; and self-awareness, which Yahiko felt was rather self-explanatory. "If the red ring were to be able to latch onto one of the biju, a creature of pure rage..."

"I don't think it will," Nagato interrupted him. "When it was trying to purge my body of its ability to survive without the ring, it showed me my most painful memories. The biju may be pure malevolence, but they have no real purpose behind it. They hate without true reason. While the ring would be drawn to rage and hate, I think what it is looking for is emotional _pain_."

"Wait," Yahiko said and then addressed the ring he wore, "is this true? Do the rings search for more than an ideal wearer and great capacity for their related emotion?"

"This ring cannot say for some, but its own search parameters were to find one capable of _inspiring_ great Hope in others rather than the mere ability to _feel _great Hope in themselves. Records indicate these search parameters were based upon similar ones placed upon the Yellow Ring. The Green Ring is known to search for one who is capable of overcoming great emotional stress. It is quite possible that the other Rings possess expanded search requirements."

Konan cut in at this point to add her own thoughts to the mix. "I think the violet ring is also looking for more than just someone who has a great capacity to love. It made mention of darkness in my heart and offered itself as a means of filling it. I think it's looking for those who have experienced emotional _loss_ in their lives."

"Emotional pain and emotional loss..." Yahiko mused. "With the way the world is right now, those two _have_ to overlap each other pretty often."

"That's a scary thought," Nagato offered. "Love and hate looking for the same type of people."

"Yeah..." Yahiko mused. "Both of you go get cleaned up. We can discuss your original missions later."

Yahiko pondered the information, both just given and from earlier, to himself. One particular part of his conversation with Minato-kohai came to mind.

(flashback)

"So, who's this girlfriend who might beat you to the title of Hokage?"

"Her name's Kushina. I kind of had a crush on her back in the academy. She, instead, considered us rivals since we both said we wanted to be Hokage on the first day of class. The boys used to tease her about her face being shaped like a tomato until she started beating them up. Then they started calling her the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habañero'."

Yahiko was rather glad he wasn't drinking anything right then, because he would have surely choked on it.

"Your _girlfriend_ is the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habañero' of Konoha?"

(end flashback)

Yahiko came to a decision. It was time he renewed pursuit of something he'd put aside for too long. "Hey, Konan!" he called after his female teammate, causing her to turn around and meet his mischievously grinning face. "When you get cleaned up, I heard about this place in a town near the border that serves some really good flame-broiled fish. Would you like to join me for dinner there? I can have us there 'in a flash'."

Konan's face turned beet red, but she managed to stammer out her acceptance before dashing off to her room. Yahiko whistled to himself and went to get ready for his date.

Nagato also smiled happily to himself as he watched the two retreat to their respective rooms to get ready when another member of Aotsuki approached him.

"Excuse me Nagato-sama, do you know where the leader is? I have a report for him."

"You can give me your report. Our dear leader has a date after all and will hopefully be indisposed for the rest of the day."

"With Konan-sama?" the other member asked.

"Who else?"

"About time!" the man exclaimed before becoming thoughtful. "What is the current state of the pool on them? Is it too late to place a bet?"

Nagato's grin widened as he pulled out a particular sealed ledger that he always carried with him and opened it so he could answer the man's questions.

* * *

><p>AN: Konan's made-up family name is taken from the character Yomiko Readman from the anime Read or Die. Yomiko's codename was 'The Paper'. So, yeah, it's a bit of a gag on my part.<p>

Nagato gets the Uzumaki family name since he's been positively identified as having at least descended from the clan in the manga.

The timeframe for this is 'some time' after Hanzo's trap for the then-Akatsuki and shortly after the end of the third shinobi world war but before Namikaze Minato was appointed Yondaime Hokage. I don't know exactly when these events occurred in relation to each other, and it really isn't imperative to place an exact timeline for the purposes of this story. It is an added detail that really wouldn't change anything.

I consider the calling of jutsu names to be a form of kiai. A kiai is basically a battle cry and often used to focus the person using it on the action they're performing such as a punch, charging into battle, or in this case performing a jutsu while at the same time letting their opponent know they've messed with the wrong person. I don't think most ninja, especially the higher ranking ones, go around shouting out their techniques all the time, but when you need to eek out that little extra 'oomph' from your jutsu, it's a good method to use.

Since, from what I recall of the manga, Jiraiya trained the Ame Orphans for three years, and they look like they were around the age of new genin when he started, so Yahiko is about 3-4 years older than Minato.

If anyone was wondering, 'sempai' essentially means 'one who came before' and is used to refer to someone of greater experience in an organization or the older of two students. 'kohai' is the reverse, meaning 'one who came after'. They are both terms of respect while referencing relative seniority, but not necessarily skill or rank. Since both Yahiko and Minato were trained by Jiraiya, and Yahiko was trained first, he is thus Minato's 'sempai' and Minato is his 'kohai'.

The comment by Minato about how their two 'Hiraishin' techniques are executed differently is just me reminding the readers that while Yahiko's 'Blue Flash' is, for all practical purposes, identical to Minato's 'Yellow Flash', the manner in which the two jutsu are performed is vastly different. Minato's technique is derived from an unprecedented skill with fuinjutsu, while Yahiko's is basically bastardized from a common ninja technique by adding an energy few ninja could begin to comprehend. As for how Minato can tell? He's _just that good_.

The meeting between Minato and Yahiko in this chapter is based quite heavily on the meeting between Naruto and Nagato in the manga.

Naruto meets Nagato in the manga as enemies, Naruto knowing full well that Nagato was a student of Jiraya and I recall no evidence that Nagato wasn't aware of the same fact about Naruto. Nagato had just laid waste to Konoha and killed many of the people there, but Naruto was still able to forge a connection between them based on their common ground as apprentices of Jiraiya.

In this chapter, Yahiko and Minato meet as enemies with neither aware of the other's relation to their mutual sensei. Yahiko doesn't really register anything other than Minato's headband at the time and while it is just as plausible that Minato could have learned about Jiraiya's former students during casual conversation with his sensei as not, he has no cause to think that the man who just pulled a sword on him for no apparent reason would have any link to his sensei. Neither of them is burdened by immense pain, recent or lingering, that would hinder a more positive interaction between them. The simple realization that they studied under the same man is thus enough to dispel any tensions they have.

How can Yahiko use the Blue Ring when he's angry? In the comics, we frequently see both Green Lanterns and Sinestro Corps members using their ring powers when royally ticked off. While the Blue Lanterns tend to be much calmer than other corps, I see no reason why they could not do the same. Anger could perhaps impair Yahiko's ability to use the Blue Ring effectively, but I see no reason why it would outright _negate_ such.

The relationship between Yahiko and Konan grew from manga chapter 511, pages 9 and 10 I think, where Yahiko and Konan are having a 'moment' in their old hideout as Konan bandages Yahiko while Nagato stands outside smiling to himself, obviously fully aware of what's going on inside. Konan's eligible for the trait of 'emotional loss' for the same reason Carol Ferris is in the Green Lantern comics. She had a relationship with Yahiko which fell by the wayside as other matters took up both their times, leaving a hole in her heart. Unlike Carol, Konan's getting another chance at having a life with her love. Yahiko's offer for dinner was very deliberately copied off of her favorite food according to some trivia I found.

As for the betting pool, I find the various fanfics with a betting pool on Naruto and Hinata's relationship (or lack thereof) to be amusing, but I'm getting a little sick of them being the _only_ ones who have such a pool based on their relationship (potential or otherwise). So, yeah, Nagato runs a secret betting pool on Yahiko and Konan's relationship.

Good gravy. I intended to just put up some quick author's notes. How did this wall of text get here?


	3. Despair is the shattered remains of Hope

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto or Green Lantern. I did wear a plastic Blue Lantern Ring as my Halloween costume though.

**Afalstein** - Okay, be prepared for a long response. Part of my restrictions for myself on this story is that no group will ever get more than one ring-bearer as a member unless the alliance occurs _after_ the selection process and involves both groups joining together (such as with the five-village alliance for the Fourth Shinobi World War). It would be all too easy to just throw in ring after ring into a single group, but having them spread out makes things more interesting. By remaining separate, each ring-bearer can follow their own ideals. So, if you see a ring-bearer from, for example, Kumogakure, no one else from Kumogakure will be getting a ring. Konan's refusal is perhaps the most important in that she's expressing a belief in 'hope before love'. She could have taken the ring in the hope of getting Yahiko to notice her, but she realized that it could also create a rift in their group. She chose to forgo the path of love in preference of maintaining Yahiko's ideals, and this choice actually ended up letting her have both. Nagato's refusal is more me showing that he is not, and will no longer become, the person known as 'Pein' in this reality. He has embraced 'hope over rage'. I also wanted to show someone fighting against being selected and I liked the idea of using the most forceful recruitment method of the rings to do so. I was never going to give Minato the Yellow Ring. The blurb of 'The Blue and The Yellow' was intentionally misleading. I wanted you readers to think it was talking about the rings when it was really referring to the two 'flashes'. Since there is only one of each ring in this reality, the Orange Ring will be going to a ring-bearer, but the identity theft ability that creates 'construct members' will _also_ be making an appearance. The biggest difference between this one and Larlfreeze is the lack of a lantern to charge from. As for your guess of Danzo, nope, not him! And on the subject of Tsunade getting the Violet Ring, who said that all of the rings would be going to people from this point in time? ;)

Funnily enough, I've decided on ring-bearers for every ring _except_ the red and violet ones. You'd think those would be the easiest...

* * *

><p>Chapter 3 - Despair is the shattered remains of Hope<p>

Yahiko stared at the report in front of him. He'd been staring at it for the last several hours, desperately wishing that this was a genjutsu, a cruel trick, some kind of hoax, a hallucination, a bad dream, _anything_ but the truth.

Minato-kohai was dead.

True to his claims, Namikaze Minato had been appointed to the position of Yondaime Hokage shortly after the two had met. In fact the first letter Yahiko had gotten from the man had opened with the line 'you need to work harder or you'll never catch up sempai!' The two had exchanged letters back and forth. Minato had posed all sorts of questions on trade and other alliance matters in between excerpts from his personal life.

Yahiko had steadily learned about Minato's genin team, including the untimely deaths of two of them, Rin and Obito, and the remaining student Kakashi. The amount of teasing blackmail he had on Hatake Kakashi was surpassed only by what Minato himself held. He'd heard all about Uzumaki Kushina, another surprise to learn she had the same clan name as Nagato, and the growing relationship between her and Minato.

He, Nagato, and Konan had met the woman exactly twice. Minato had invited the three of them to bear witness to their secret wedding and to the group's surprise they hit it off with her extremely well. Somewhere between the vows and the wedding cake, she'd let the three in on the fact that she was a jinchuuriki. Of the kyuubi no less. The Ame Orphans had taken the news in stride, and Yahiko had repayed that trust by letting the newlyweds in on the basics of his ring.

Apparently Kushina had gotten pregnant shortly afterwards and Minato's letter about that clearly showed that he was completely thrilled. Yahiko had taken both events and decided that he should look into finally tying the knot with Konan. It had taken him four months to find the perfect engagement ring, and Konan had been almost as nervous as he was the night he proposed to her.

(flashback)

"Konan, I have something I need to ask you," Yahiko said.

"I have something I need to say first," Konan replied.

"No, I really need to ask you this before I lose my nerve."

"Yahiko, this is too important, you see I..."

"Will you marry me?"

"I'm pregnant."

(end flashback)

Both of them had been in kind of a weird state that night, but come morning no force on earth could have ripped the smiles from their faces. He'd written Minato first thing in the morning and the letter he'd gotten back apparently included an 'instant party' seal as when he's opened it he'd been showered with confetti and the sound of at least a hundred of those obnoxious party blowers. It had also included a demand for when the two of them were getting married so both Minato and Kushina could attend. Yahiko had been more than willing to invite them into the Aotsuki hideout itself for the event and the entire organization had been happy to make the two feel like family.

He'd been a little perturbed at Nagato when he saw him handing some money to Kushina and learned that there had been a betting pool on when he'd propose to Konan. Nagato had just smiled and told him he needed to get dressed if he didn't want to miss his own wedding.

As Kushina neared her delivery date, Minato had written Yahiko that they'd decided on a name for their son. Naruto.

Kami, how long had it been since he'd heard that name? Nagato still had that first copy of the book Jiraiya had written while he trained them. Yahiko had quickly replied that clearly Minato's son was destined to become a great hero with a name like that.

Minato's final letter had told Yahiko about the various precautions that would need to be taken because Kushina was a jinchuuriki, as the act of giving birth greatly weakened the seal. He'd added a post script that read: 'Oh, and when you finally get around to kicking Hanzo out of Ame, drop by Konoha. I've got the alliance terms we've been discussing all written up and ready to sign whenever you're ready.'

Yahiko had laughed himself sick when reading that. Only Jiraiya's students would have the gall to hash out a major alliance through correspondence instead of in person.

But now, all that was gone. Something had gone horribly wrong with the birth. Kyuubi had gotten free. Kushina was dead and Minato had killed himself using a forbidden fuinjutsu to re-seal the Kyuubi again. No word on their son.

He'd sent Nagato out to find out more, and his friend had readily agreed even though it risked potential relations with Konoha and his own life if he was discovered. Nagato wanted to know what had gone wrong just as much as he did. Konan would have joined him, but she had entered her third trimester and was in no shape to go anywhere.

In fact, Yahiko would have gone himself, but when he tried to mix the Blue Light with his chakra so he could flash to Konoha, he'd gotten nothing. When he'd angrily asked the ring why it wasn't responding, it had helpfully reminded him that his ability to utilize the Blue Light was based on his ability to Hope. He'd collapsed into his chair then, unable to deny the fact that, right now, he couldn't muster up enough hope to get the ring to so much as spark, much less do anything useful.

Unable to take it any longer, Yahiko put his head in his hands and wept.

Yahiko wasn't sure how long it had been before someone interrupted him. He'd lost all sense of time since reading that report.

"Hey, Yahiko, wake up," came the fuzzy voice into his thoughts. Oh, yeah, he'd cried himself to sleep.

"Whozere?" he asked groggily.

"You're a mess," the voice stated, now identifiable as belonging to Nagato. "You haven't let yourself be this off guard since before Jiraiya-sensei started teaching us."

"Sorry," he said, the misery in his voice clear even to him.

"Yeah, you look it. I think you'll like what I have to say though."

That statement allowed Yahiko to drag himself to full alertness.

"Okay, good news is that their son survived."

"Oh, thank Kami-sama!" Yahiko exclaimed in relief.

"I wouldn't yet," Nagato warned. "Bad news is that he's the new jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Worse news is that I wouldn't have learned that if someone hadn't leaked the information so I could overhear villagers talking about 'the demon brat'. The Sandaime apparently made a law that forbids people from talking about it, but it seems he wasn't fast enough to beat the gossip vine."

Yahiko felt his blood run cold. While the three of them had nothing against jinchuuriki in general, he was well aware that the rest of the world didn't share the sentiment. For Minato's son to be subjected to that kind of stigma...

"Additionally, it seems that he's listed under his mother's family name, not his father's. I think that makes him the first Uzumaki with a hair color other than red in over a century."

Yahiko winced in sympathy, but understood. Kushina may have been every bit her husband's equal, but Minato had made far more enemies in the world. Enemies that would think nothing of murdering an orphan to spite a dead man.

"The most I was able to learn about the incident was that someone attacked Kushina after she gave birth with the deliberate intention of releasing the Kyuubi. Konoha doesn't know who it was, but all the guards and medics posted for the duty of delivering Naruto having their throats cut doesn't leave many interpretations. Near as they can figure, whoever it was got away too. They found no extra bodies at least."

...Crap. Someone who was looking to set the biju loose on the world was _not_ what he wanted to hear about right now.

"I was also caught."

Yahiko froze. Oh, hell. His mind was running through all the various scenarios. Breakdown of relations, bounties, sanctions, reparations, _War_. There was no disguising their involvement either. He, Konan, and Nagato were _the_ most well-known members of the Aotsuki.

"It was the Sandaime himself that caught me. He asked me to relay a message."

Yahiko's train of thought promptly jumped the track. A message. Messages were good. Messages weren't War. Unless it was a declaration of war...

"He said to tell you Minato's offer was still good."

Yahiko started convulsing. He wasn't sure if it was from laughter or sorrow, for it could have easily been either.

"You were trying to give me a heart attack, weren't you?" he accused Nagato as tears ran down his face. Truly, Minato-kohai was the best. He'd drawn up an alliance for a government that didn't exist and made sure that it would be carried out even if he wasn't around to do it himself.

"I thought you could use a good joke," Nagato retorted with a sad smile.

"You are an evil, evil man," Yahiko accused the wonderful friend that he really didn't deserve right now.

"We're plotting a multi-national coup against the entire world, what else would we be?" Nagato smiled that infuriating way he had. "Why, we're so insidious that we're getting the leaders of some of these nations to join the conspiracy and go along with it."

Yahiko snorted. Yep, that was definitely a laugh that time. He raised his head and looked at the ring. It was glowing again.

'Bless you Minato-kohai,' he thought. 'Even from beyond the grave you were able to rekindle a flame that had been extinguished.'

Truly, he was a horrible match for the ring he wore. He kept needing others to rekindle the hope he was supposed to be inspiring. But it had chosen him nonetheless, and the people who gave him hope all seemed to have faith that he could succeed. It was only right that he did his best to live up to that faith.

"How long until Konan gives birth?" he asked suddenly.

"About three months," Nagato replies questioningly. "You should know, you've been marking the days off on your calendar."

"Get everyone together. By the time my son is born, Amegakure _will_ be free of Hanzo's oppression."

* * *

><p>AN: Apologies to anyone who thought I was going to have Minato live.<p>

Konan is at least a month pregnant when Yahiko proposes to her. He gets the news that Kushina's pregnant, takes about four months to propose because he _has_ to find the perfect ring, and Konan has about three months to her due date when Naruto is born.

I have a request for my readers. Yahiko's son is going to be part of the Konoha Chunin Exams when I get to them. I already have a name for him, a sensei (Nagato of course), and skills. What I need are his teammates. I'm drawing a humongous blank on them and I don't want to make cookie-cutter ninja. So, if any of you have, or are willing to make, an OC to go on this team, please include it in your review! I'll probably edit it a fair bit, but I'm desperate for ideas.

Taking a short break from writing this while I belt out a long silly one shot that just _won't leave me alone_! It's another Naruto crossover, and from what I can find on fanfiction .net, it's not one that's been done before.

However, when I get back to this, the next few chapters are going to be recruitment! Aotsuki will be gaining some new, and familiar, members! But they're not the only ones on the lookout for new talent. The Akatsuki is also recruiting...


End file.
